Immunisation is widely recognised as one of the most effective public health interventions, with vaccination serving as the most effective and foundational pillar of infection prevention at all life stages. However, despite the clear benefits of vaccines in preventing disease, Europe still lacks a coordinated strategy that ensures vaccination coverage at all stages of life.
On 21 January 2026, the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) together with several coalition partners[1] adopted the Call for Action: Life Course Immunisation Strategy – A Seamless Approach to Protection Across All Ages and Risk, urging EU decision‑makers and national authorities to adopt a comprehensive Life Course Immunisation Strategy that extends protection from infancy to older age.
Unlike traditional vaccination policies that focus primarily on childhood immunisation, a life course approach recognises that vaccine preventable diseases continue to pose risks throughout a person’s life, from maternal and infant protection through adolescence to adulthood and into older age.
The Call for Action specifically targets high-risk groups. It calls for a more robust and coordinated system including strengthened surveillance. It recognises the high economic return on vaccination and importance to actively combat vaccine hesitancy.
Why Europe Needs Life Course Immunisation
Europe’s demographic profile is shifting: populations are ageing, and the burden of non‑communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity continues to rise. These chronic conditions not only increase individual vulnerability to severe infections, but emerging evidence also reveals a bi‑directional relationship between respiratory viruses and NCDs, meaning viral infections can worsen underlying chronic illness.
This interplay was explored in depth in the ESWI podcast The Two‑Way Street: When Respiratory Viruses Meet Chronic Illness, where leading scientists discussed how individuals living with NCDs face higher risks from respiratory viruses such as influenza, SARS‑CoV‑2 and RSV. The podcast underscored the fact that viral infections can lead to both acute disease and long‑term health consequences, including the possibility of triggering metabolic disorders like diabetes or exacerbating cardiovascular dysfunction.
The informal Interdisciplinary Disease Collaboration on Respiratory Infections and NCDs (IDC), managed by ESWI, plays an important role in fostering a dialogue between science and policy to prevent respiratory virus infections in people living with NCDs.
Bridging Prevention and Chronic Disease Control
A life course immunisation strategy is not simply about increasing vaccine uptake; it is about integrating vaccination into broader public health and chronic disease prevention frameworks.
By systematically protecting people at different life stages, especially older adults and those with NCDs, Europe can reduce the clinical burden of respiratory infections and the secondary impacts these infections have on chronic health conditions. This aligns with wider efforts to strengthen health systems, promote equitable access to preventive care, and anticipate future health threats.
[1] Adult Immunization Board, AIB
Coalition for Life Course Immunisation, CLCI
European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, EAHP
European Interdisciplinary Council on Ageing, EICA
European Society for Clinical Virology, ESCV
European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, ESPID
European Specialist Nurses Organisation, ESNO
European Geriatric Medicine Society, EUGMS
International Pharmaceutical Federation, FIP
